Spotlight on Women in Geothermal – Robin Zuza, Director of Global Exploration, Ormat

Spotlight on Women in Geothermal – Robin Zuza

The USA Chapter of Women in Geothermal has been running a series of “Spotlight on Women” features highlighting the important role of women in the geothermal sector. A recent version of the article focuses on Robin Zuza, the Director of Global Exploration at Ormat Technologies Inc.

Click here to read the full “Spotlight on Women in Geothermal” feature on Robin Zuza.

Robin earned a degree in engineering geology and a master’s degree in geology. Having started her career in the oil and gas industry, a relocation to Nevada prompted her to join Ormat and transition to geothermal – at a time when this was not so common yet.

A more diverse Exploration team

By 2022, Robin became the Director of Global Exploration at Ormat, leading a team of 17 direct reports across the US and Indonesia. Robin has taken great pride in developing a world-class technical team in Indonesia focused on a culture of empowerment, cross-cultural learning, and challenging norms.

Robin considers her most significant achievement at Ormat to be her efforts to increase diversity within the exploration team at the company. She recognized that the traditional job requirements for field-based geologists were less accessible to many potential candidates, particularly women. Robin worked diligently to modify these requirements to make the roles more accessible. From 2019 to today, the  Exploration team went from one woman to seven.

Advocating for pro-geothermal policy

Robin currently serves on the board of Geothermal Rising and Chairs the Foundations Committee. She is an active member of the policy, education, and finance committees and has spoken greatly on the complexity of the federal permitting process and how this has hampered the execution of geothermal projects.

Although not originally a policy expert, Robin is now immersing herself more into that area. “I’m hoping to bring some of my experience to support the initiatives that Geothermal Rising is undertaking,” she said. “It’s a crucial time for geothermal energy, and addressing these barriers is essential for our progress.”

Source: Women in Geothermal USA